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by rsv1cox Thu Sep 21, 2023 5:03 pm
Cox Engine of The Month
September-2023
balogh's

"Beefed up old stock 290 on my Quickie100 RC after plenty of airtime hours..."

PAST WINNERS
balogh's

"Beefed up old stock 290 on my Quickie100 RC after plenty of airtime hours..."

PAST WINNERS
Cleaning aluminum?
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Cleaning aluminum?
And I thought this was going to be simple just wipe it down with 91% alcohol.
Not so simple, I looked up "cleaning aluminum" on the net and it seems that alcohol reacts with aluminum in a not so nice way. Best way is dish detergent and warm water which does an acceptable job of removing most of the spent castor but leaves stains. I have polishers but they leave that polished look and I want natural.
Paint brush gave way to a microfiber towel.


Any ideas?
Not so simple, I looked up "cleaning aluminum" on the net and it seems that alcohol reacts with aluminum in a not so nice way. Best way is dish detergent and warm water which does an acceptable job of removing most of the spent castor but leaves stains. I have polishers but they leave that polished look and I want natural.
Paint brush gave way to a microfiber towel.


Any ideas?
rsv1cox- Top Poster
Posts : 9693
Join date : 2014-08-18
Location : West Virginia
Re: Cleaning aluminum?
clean but not shiney is the difficult part there.
most aluminum cleaning products are all about getting the shine
I'm a huge fan of simple green and a soft plastic scrub brush with lots of water.
It will make too shiney, but?
Brasso
Mag Wheel Polish
Never-Dull magic wadding
SimiChrome polishing compound
Are all some in my 'toolbox' but most will get you a highly polished....
good luck
most aluminum cleaning products are all about getting the shine
I'm a huge fan of simple green and a soft plastic scrub brush with lots of water.
It will make too shiney, but?
Brasso
Mag Wheel Polish
Never-Dull magic wadding
SimiChrome polishing compound
Are all some in my 'toolbox' but most will get you a highly polished....
good luck
cstatman- Gold Member
Posts : 452
Join date : 2021-02-17
Age : 59
Location : San Jose, CA
Re: Cleaning aluminum?
Berryman's? Maybe just a 3M abrasive pad, or coarse steel wool?
pman1111- Silver Member
- Posts : 76
Join date : 2022-01-15
Re: Cleaning aluminum?
I think that buffing wheel is best.
A clear acrylic coat will be good after polishing.
A clear acrylic coat will be good after polishing.
Levent Suberk- Diamond Member
- Posts : 2079
Join date : 2017-12-24
Location : Türkiye
Re: Cleaning aluminum?
Thanks all......
Charles I haven't seen Never-Dull wadding since I was in the Navy. Good stuff for polishing airplanes.
Pman, I thought of Berrymans, might try a bit on the underside of the wing,
and Levent, I will probably have to coat with something.
I picked the worst spot under the wing to try some things. Went against the net and tried alcohol which worked best and did not seem to harm the aluminum. Then tried white vinegar a net suggestion which did nothing. Finally used the Cameo cleaner which helped. Did not use the Mothers which raises a "black" resdue.
None made me happy.
Before

After


Charles I haven't seen Never-Dull wadding since I was in the Navy. Good stuff for polishing airplanes.
Pman, I thought of Berrymans, might try a bit on the underside of the wing,
and Levent, I will probably have to coat with something.
I picked the worst spot under the wing to try some things. Went against the net and tried alcohol which worked best and did not seem to harm the aluminum. Then tried white vinegar a net suggestion which did nothing. Finally used the Cameo cleaner which helped. Did not use the Mothers which raises a "black" resdue.
None made me happy.
Before

After


rsv1cox- Top Poster
Posts : 9693
Join date : 2014-08-18
Location : West Virginia
akjgardner- Diamond Member
Posts : 1293
Join date : 2014-12-28
Age : 64
Location : Greensberg Indiana
Re: Cleaning aluminum?
Just an idea, but you might try the "Mr. Clean Magic Eraser". It is a very mild abrasive, so try first in a place that won't show.
Thanks for posting this picture! I wondered if the TD-1 had dihedral, and it shows that it does.
Can you measure the distance from the countertop to the raised tip? Thanks.
Thanks for posting this picture! I wondered if the TD-1 had dihedral, and it shows that it does.
Can you measure the distance from the countertop to the raised tip? Thanks.
duaneh- Gold Member
Posts : 169
Join date : 2019-04-06
Re: Cleaning aluminum?
akjgardner wrote:How about aluminum boat cleaner ?
Good idea.
https://jetsinc.com/polishing-and-finishing/specialty/3m-marine-aluminum-restorer-and-polish-09020-remove-oxidation-water-spot/

Levent Suberk- Diamond Member
- Posts : 2079
Join date : 2017-12-24
Location : Türkiye
Re: Cleaning aluminum?
duaneh wrote:Just an idea, but you might try the "Mr. Clean Magic Eraser". It is a very mild abrasive, so try first in a place that won't show.
Thanks for posting this picture! I wondered if the TD-1 had dihedral, and it shows that it does.
Can you measure the distance from the countertop to the raised tip? Thanks.
Thanks, I have been wondering about that as well, prompted me to measure. Appears to be about 1 1/8" at the tip. Fully symmetrical wing, not cambered.



Thing of beauty. Leroy knew what he was doing, or employed people that did until the bean counters entered the picture. This model is so far ahead of the later plastic models that Cox produced. I will cover that in my other thread.
rsv1cox- Top Poster
Posts : 9693
Join date : 2014-08-18
Location : West Virginia
Re: Cleaning aluminum?
Any polish or wadding will make the surface shiny.
Melamine sponge (magic eraser) might be worth a try. I have used it on engine components recently. There didn't seem to be any metal coming off onto the white sponge but castor varnish seemed to clean right up. Didn't bother a fresh clean machined surface at all.
Melamine sponge (magic eraser) might be worth a try. I have used it on engine components recently. There didn't seem to be any metal coming off onto the white sponge but castor varnish seemed to clean right up. Didn't bother a fresh clean machined surface at all.
gkamysz- Gold Member
- Posts : 346
Join date : 2018-02-22
Location : Chicagoland
Re: Cleaning aluminum?
One thought that crossed my mind is, some of what you're seeing on the wing might be a coating sprayed on the aluminum to prevent it from oxidizing? If that's the case, it's any ones guess what chemical might remove it, and not attack the aluminum.
Don
Don
pman1111- Silver Member
- Posts : 76
Join date : 2022-01-15

» Cox Mufflers with Snout, GONE?
» New Aluminum Backs
» Aluminum Backplates
» Aluminium fuel tanks for Cox Tee Dee .010 & .020
» Aluminum piston
» New Aluminum Backs
» Aluminum Backplates
» Aluminium fuel tanks for Cox Tee Dee .010 & .020
» Aluminum piston
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